Cursed Blood
by destinyswindow
Summary: Twins, Kuro and Kari, have been shielded from the supernatural world by their friend Kazuma for years. That peace is shattered when it's discovered that they might not be as normal as previously thought and a plot to use them to undermine the tentative peace between the worlds might just be the downfall of them all. Hiei/OC background Jin/OC
1. Chapter 1

Yusuke had his ramen cart parked under the only street light on the block that night. He had a couple of customers on the far end of cart. Just a pair of low level demons from what he could tell. They were murmuring to each other with their heads close together. They were hammering out the details of a deal, but the ex-detective didn't know anymore than that. So long as they weren't dealing in humans and no one was getting hurt, he didn't want to know. It wasn't his job anyway. He busied himself with washing a few dishes while waiting for more customers and ignored them.

A couple of familiar energies flickered into life a few blocks away. Yusuke turned his head in their direction and caught sight of familiar, bright colored hair passing under the nearest street lamp.

"Oi," he called to the two still at the cart, oblivious to the approach of more customers. "Scram." He jerked his head in the opposite way when the looked up at him.

One of the demons rose to his feet, indignant. "Hey, we're paying customers."

Yusuke glared at the two. It wasn't good business to beat up his customers but he'd make an exception for these two.

"You idiot," the second demon hissed, tugging on his companion's sleeve. "You're going to get us killed."

At least one of them had some common sense.

"You wimp, he can't-"

The demon cut off with a choke as Yusuke hauled him halfway across the bar by his shirt collar. "Now listen here buddy," he growled. "I have the common decency to keep my nose of your business when you conduct it at my cart. The least you could do is clear out when I have to handle mine. Understood?"

The mouthy demon nodded, eyes darting to the duo approaching the cart that he had finally noticed.

Yusuke shoved the demon away from him. "Good, then scram."

He watched the two disappear around the corner before turning to the two seated at the counter.

"So what'll it be tonight guys?" Yusuke asked, his scowl stretching into a smile. It'd been a while since he'd last seen anyone but Kuwabara and it was good to see his friends.

"The usual for me please," Koenma replied.

"Coming right up." the dark haired man said, pulling various pans and bowls from their places. "And what about you, Kurama?"

"Nothing for me tonight, I'm afraid," Kurama told him.

Yusuke chuckled. "C'mon man, help a guy out. I'm trying to save for a house here," he joked.

"You have two years before the wedding. I'm sure one missed sale isn't going to break you," the red head joked back. "I will take some tea though, if you have it."

"One tea coming right up."

"How has Keiko been?" Koenma asked. "Botan misses her. She's been meaning to take some time off and come visit. But we're so busy in Spirit World it's just not possible right now."

"And yet you're here," Yusuke snarked as he plopped a bowl down in front of Koenma and handed a cup to Kurama.

Koenma fidgeted with his chopsticks, looking anywhere but at Yusuke. "Ah, yes, well, this is a…" he trailed off and glanced at Kurama, who calmly watched him over the rim of his cup. "It's a special circumstance."

The ex-detective threw himself down onto his own stool with a noise of disbelief. He watched the two across from him, waiting for one them to crack and give up the polite conversation. He didn't like beating around the bush but Koenma wouldn't look up from his noodles. Kurama only smiled at him when Yusuke tried to stare him down to the dark haired man's frustration.

Fine. If that was the way they wanted it.

"Yeah, well, Keiko's good," Yusuke said, answering the princeling's earlier question. "She's getting ready for finals in a couple weeks. Practically forbidden me from visiting her until she's done."

"She always was of the studious sort," Koenma laughed between slurps of noodles.

"She's rubbed off on Kuwabara too," he complained. "I've barely seen the guy in the last week. And every time I make a noise above a whisper, I'm getting yelled at to keep it down."

The two customers laughed at that mental image. If someone had told them a few years ago that Kuwabara would be telling Yusuke to keep it down so he could study, they would have called them mad. Now the human was finishing his second year of college and thinking of finding an internship for the summer.

"He's doing well in his studies then?" Kurama asked.

"I guess?" Yusuke shrugged, scratching his chin and watching the fox demon. His friend wasn't the most energetic of their group but he wasn't this subdued either. Kurama put up a good front but the ex-detective could tell that something was wrong. "Shizuru seems real proud of him."

"That's good."

The cart went quiet and he wondered how long they would have to go through the small talk before they got to the point. Whatever it was, Yusuke figured Botan must not be in the know. She would have skipped whatever important work she had to tell him everything by now if she was.

"How's our little three-eyed friend doing lately?"

Yusuke might not care much for polite conversation but that didn't mean he couldn't keep one up. He'd done quite a bit of growing up despite what others might say.

Kurama chuckled at the reference to Hiei. "Growing increasingly bored, the way I understand it."

"Him and me both," the dark haired man grumbled, leaning back on his stool.

"Well, Yusuke," Koenma cut in, setting his empty bowl back down on the counter. "If I knew you needed something to do."

"Hey," Yusuke shifted forward in his seat to point a finger under Koenma's nose when he trailed off. "Don't forget that I don't work for you anymore. So you can keep your cases to yourself."

"Then as a personal favor?"

Yusuke's gaze cut over to the redhead. The request had been so soft spoken, almost like he didn't expect Yusuke to help him. It worried him that Kurama might believe that.

"About damn time we got the small talk over with," Yusuke huffed to cover the worry in his voice. "Now spill, what's going on? Who do I have to punch now."

Kurama gave him an amused smile and shook his head. "I don't think this one can be resolved with fists, Yusuke." The fox fell silent for a moment.

Yusuke watched him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the abnormal pale skin. Dread slipped into his stomach like a rock.

"I've grown quite ill in the last few months," Kurama finally said.

That was….not what Yusuke had been expecting. He thought it would be something like a big ugly demon trying to destroy the world again. Something he could sink his fists into. What was he supposed to do against against some disease?

"How sick?" he demanded.

"I've apparently developed Demon World's version of cancer," the redhead answered. "I'm dying Yusuke."

* * *

The street lights cast odd shadows over the ceiling that flickered and warped whenever a car drove by. Which wasn't often given how late it was. Kari had been trying to find shapes in the shadows for over an hour now as she willed herself to go back to sleep. With a groan, she rubbed her face before twisting around on the bed to see her alarm clock on the headboard. It was only twenty til four in the morning. She didn't need to be up for another two and a half hours almost.

Sighing, Kari gave up on going back to sleep and hauled herself from bed. If Kuro made her own breakfast later, Kari would have time to take one of her 'nap pills' and get a few more hours of sleep before she had to be up. She shoved her feet into her house slippers and crept down the hall to the bathroom. She scanned through the bottles in the medicine cabinet behind the mirror before reaching for the correct one.

Except the bottle was lighter than expected when she pulled it from the shelf.

"Damn," she whispered to herself when she twisted the cap off to find the bottle was empty.

She'd forgotten that she was out of those pills and running low on all her other medications. But a refill meant a trip to the doctor which she didn't have time for at the moment with how busy she was with school. There was just no good day for her to miss until classes let out for the summer.

Kari placed the bottle back in it's place and slipped back to her room. It was too late to take one of her eight hour pills. And she would never be able to get to sleep in the two hours before her alarm went off. After thinking for a moment, she flicked off her alarm and grabbed a set of clothes. If she was already up, she might as well get ready for the day. An extra long bath sounded like the perfect way to start it off.

After bathing Kari took time to blow dry her long hair. When she finished getting ready for the day, she collected her book bag from her room and moved it to the living room. She still had plenty of time before Kuro's alarm went off to make herself a cup of tea.

She took her drink onto the balcony to enjoy while she watched the sun rise. Quiet moments like this always left her feeling rested and refreshed when she got little sleep.

Halfway through her tea though, Kari realized that she wasn't feeling peaceful this morning. Her heart rate beat out a quick rhythm while her knee bounced at a fast pace. The urge to get up and pace was as difficult to ignore and her clenching stomach.

The tea.

Frowning, Kari looked into the almost empty mug. Maybe she had grabbed the wrong box by accident? She went back to the kitchen to check the tea bag still sitting in the edge of the sink but it was her usual decaf blend. She dumped the remaining tea anyway and stood at the counter, wondering what might have triggered the sudden anxiety. There was nothing important happening at school that day. Kuro didn't have any tournaments coming up for her to worry over. Neither twin had any missed calls about their dad. So Kari wasn't sure what was causing this.

The sound of Kuro's alarm clock jarred Kari out of her thoughts. She startled, almost dropping her phone. The young woman sighed and shook her head. She would take an anxiety pill after Kuro finished with her shower. If she remembered, she still had a few of those pills left. But she would definitely have to schedule an appointment with her doctor soon to get a refill. In the mean time, she had breakfast to make.

* * *

An hour and a half later, both girls were on the train, commuting to their university. Kuro listened to music on her phone, nursing her thermos of coffee while she nodded off against the window. Kari sat next to her, clutching her own thermos of decaf tea in one hand and pressing the other to her stomach. Her anxiety pills made her nauseous and the swaying of the train car did little to help the situation. She hunched over on herself trying to quell the rolling of her stomach.

"Hey," Kuro said, taking notice of her younger sister's behavior. She pulled out an earbud and placed her hand on Kari's back. "You okay?"

Kari hummed and leaned into the comfort of the warm hand rubbing circles on her upper back. "Yeah, I just took an anxiety pill this morning," she told her sister.

Realization lit up the older twin's eyes before they clouded over again with confusion. "Is there something going on?" she asked.

"No, least I don't think so," Kari shook her head. She glanced around at the other passengers before leaning closer to her sister. "I just think it's one of those….you know…. _feelings_ I get," she whispered.

"Oh," Kuro pulled back a little to look her sister over for any obvious signs that something was wrong. "Is it bad?"

The younger twin smiled at her sister. No doubt the older girl was remembering the worst of Kari's previous anxiety attacks. "No, the meds are kicking in and it's all under control. It's just the nausea is pretty bad right now." She patted Kuro's knee, hoping to reassure her that she would be fine.

"Is that why you didn't eat breakfast?"

"Yeah."

Kuro watched Kari carefully, like she wasn't sure the woman next to her was as okay as she said. Kari was thankful she didn't press the issue though. The older twin moved her hand from Kari's back to wrap around her thinner shoulders and pull her into a hug. "Alright, just make sure you try to eat a good lunch 'kay?"

Kari rolled her eyes with a smile.

"And take a nap," Kuro continued much to Kari's surprise. "Yeah, I heard you up ridiculously early this morning. So find a couch in the library to camp out on during your break and call the doctor. Don't think I haven't noticed you taking your pills more often lately."

"Yeah, I know. I will."

Kuro nodded, satisfied with Kari's willingness to go along with her suggestions. She went back to listening to her music while the other woman took out her phone. A quick game of Candy Crush would distract her from her nausea for the rest of their commute.

* * *

"You're sure about this?" Yusuke asked, rubbing his eyes.

Kurama sighed, his head drooping. "It's my last option."

Yusuke dropped the sheet of paper in his hand onto the coffee table and leaned back on the old broken down couch. The sun had risen some time ago and usually by now, Yusuke would be sound asleep in his futon. Instead he had closed his stand early and rushed Koenma and Kurama to the apartment so they could hash out the details of the fox's illness in private.

Apparently it was bad. So bad that Koenma was on his last leg in looking for a cure that might not even exist anymore. The paper he had been holding listed their best candidates for a cure.

And at the top of the list….

"And you're sure about them?" Yusuke questioned for the dozenth time since he saw the list.

"They fit all the requirements," Koenma reasoned. "It's a lucky coincidence that you already know them."

"When have coincidences ever happened to us?" Kurama pointed out.

The ex-detective groaned, knowing the red head was right. "Kuwabara is _not_ going to like this."

"Not going to like what, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked, stepping into the living room. He was already dressed and ready for his classes that day.

Koenma startled at his sudden appearance, upsetting the briefcase on his lap. He rushed to gather up the papers that spilled to the floor. Yusuke tried to use the distraction to snatch the paper off the table and stuff it down the side of the couch.

But Kuwabara noticed.

"What was that?" He demanded as he eyed the other two in the room. "Okay, what's going on here? Why is Koenma here and why does Kurama feel weird?"

The three men glanced from one to the other, wondering who was going to tell Kuwabara what they had already spent hours going over. Koenma and Kurama's eyes landed on Yusuke. He stared back, confused for a moment before realization hit him.

"Uh-uh, no way." He shook his head. "Koenma, you tell him."

Koenma laughed, glancing at his watch. "Actually, I need to be going," he said, standing and gathering up his things. "Got a world to run after all. Good luck!" he called back and in a flash, he disappeared from the room.

"Damn that baby!" Yusuke cursed. "Kurama, it's your issue, you tell him."

"I'm afraid my energy isn't what it usually is," Kurama told him, shaking his head. "Our conversation has already drained me considerably and I'd rather sit this one out."

Yusuke glared at the fox. He didn't want to press the issue if the redhead felt that poor but he also got the impression that Kurama just wanted to watch him squirm.

"Would someone just tell me what is going on here?!" Kuwabara hollered.

Yusuke jumped from his seat and rounded on his roommate. "Kurama's dying!" he snapped.

Kuwabara was speechless. He stared at Yusuke like he'd grown a second head for a long moment before looking over to Kurama.

"It's true," the fox demon confirmed.

The taller man continued to stare between the two others as he processed this new information. "What is this?! Genkai all over again?" Kuwabara suddenly shouted. "How long have you known about this, huh, Urameshi?"

"I just found earlier this night." Yusuke yelled back. "And stop screaming, you'll wake the neighbors."

"You're screaming too you idiot," the psychic continued to yell. "Why didn't you wake me up if you just found out?"

Kurama shook his head at the two and moved out of the living room towards the kitchen. Over the years he had found it was best to leave them to it when they got like this. He would make some tea for everyone when things calmed down. A loud thud let Kurama know that someone had tackled the other and knocked furniture over. The sounds of a scuffle continued for several minutes as he moved around the kitchen.

The kettle whistled just as the shouting and wrestling noises died out behind him. By the time Kurama returned to the living room with the full tea tray, they had righted the furniture and taken seats on either end of the couch.

"So?" he asked the two as he set the tray down and retook his seat on the chair.

"I'm skipping class until further notice. I'll email my professors some excuse later," Kuwabara huffed. "And I'm mad at the both you for not thinking that I would find this important enough to skip for."

"I appreciate your help in this, Kuwabara," Kurama said, taking a mug from the tray.

"It's not like classes can't be retaken," Kuwabara shrugged and grabbed his own mug. "Won't get another chance to help you if you die though."

"Still though, I know how important your education is to you."

Yusuke cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "That's all well and good. But as I was saying earlier, Kurama's dying and nothing's working-"

"Not even your plants? Or Spirit World?" the human interrupted.

The ex-detective threw a cushion at Kuwabara's head.

"Hey!" he protested, tossing the pillow back.

"If you would shut up and listen to me," Yusuke growled, waiting for Kuwabara to lapse back in silence before continuing. "Nothing's working, but there is one last option. Apparently there's someone running around with magic cure-all blood that could fix Kurama."

"Okay then," Kuwabara ventured when it didn't appear that Yusuke was going to say more. "Do we know who this person is?"

Yusuke pulled the wrinkled paper from the couch where he'd shoved it earlier and attempted to flatten it out.

"Koenma gave us a list of candidates most likely to possess this trait," Kurama filled in. Yusuke passed the sheet to Kuwabara. "The ones at the top are our best chances."

Kurama and Yusuke watched Kuwabara scan over the list, his gaze lingering on the first set of names.

"Urameshi, I swear, if this is a joke," he growled, fingers clenching around the paper.

"It's not-"

"Is this about that time I let you think Keiko was dead after the Saint Beasts?" Kuwabara demanded. "Because, man, I thought we were past that."

"No, listen-"

"And you already got me back for the Dark Tournament with Sensui so-"

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted, cutting the other man off. "I promise, this isn't joke. The Nishimura's are our best shot."

Kuwabara shook his head. Yusuke and Kurama shared a look. Yusuke had already explained how close Kuwabara was to the Nishimura twins. That he was adamant about keeping them excluded from this part of their lives.

"I know they're your friends, Kuwabara, but-" Kurama tried to reassure him.

"But they're normal!" he argued.

"No they're not," Yusuke countered. "Maybe you didn't notice because you're around them so much, but when I got back from Demon World, I noticed Nishimura had a decent amount of spirit energy."

"That's probably just from hanging around us too long. Keiko has spirit energy now too," Kuwabara shot back.

"Perhaps, we could just ask them to donate blood and give them an excuse as to why?" Kurama suggested, trying to prevent another violent argument between the two.

Kuwabara snorted, "That'll never work."

Kurama looked to Yusuke to explain when Kuwabara fell into a brooding silence.

"Kuro's afraid of needles and Kari faints at the sight of her own blood," Yusuke told him. He suddenly broke out in a sly grin, glancing at Kuwabara from the corner of his eye. "Besides, this guy can't lie to them to save his life."

"Hey!"

"That might actually be another mark for them being the Cursed Blood twins," Kurama mused, chin in hand as he got lost in thought. "Think about it, if they really did have cure-all and incurable poisonous blood, they wouldn't want that floating around somewhere in the world. It's an unconscious defense mechanism."

"Cursed Blood?! Poison?" Kuwabara repeated. "I thought one of them was supposed to just have magic cure blood?"

"It comes in pairs, we'll explain it all later, when we tell Kuro and Kari," Yusuke said, waving him off.

"We're not telling them anything," the taller man insisted.

Yusuke sighed. "Look man," he started, reaching out to grip Kuwabara's shoulder. "I get it. I do. They're my friends too, remember. I've gone along with you and kept them out of this for six years now since you've known them longer. And it was safer for them that way. But now, it might be safer for them to be included."

"But Urameshi," Kuwabara protested.

"Just text them," the ex-detective urged. "Tell them to meet us at that diner they like near campus for dinner."

Kuwabara watched Yusuke, studying him for any glimmer of doubt. But he couldn't find any. He turned to Kurama, who was noticeably pale and more tired looking than normal now that he paid attention. The tension fell from his shoulders when he realized that there was no way around this. At least, not when the life of one of his friends was in the balance.

"Yeah, okay. I'll text them." Kuwabara finally gave in.

Yusuke squeezed his shoulder in thanks. "Be casual about it though. Don't want to worry them, you know how Kari can get."

Kuwabara rolled his eyes and he dug out his phone and brought it out of sleep mode. "They're going to know something's wrong," he muttered.

* * *

A/N: lol it's been so long since I uploaded anything to this account that I forgot this site doesn't have a field for an author's note like _every other site ever_. Seriously FF. Get on that.

Anyway this is my 3rd attempt at writing this fic since high school. It's been a long time coming. I'm aiming to update twice at least twice a month on the 15th and 30th/31st. So be on the lookout for the next chapter in a few weeks. As usual, a big thanks to Sanity who is the one who tends to prod me along when I drag my feet at writing this. And thanks for reading. Reviews and constructive criticism are highly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

A quick little warning for this chapter, panic attack. Kari has an explicit panic attack for pretty much the last half of the chapter. If it bothers you too much to read, message me and I'll tell you anything you missed. On another note, I do not have any sort of anxiety disorders and even though I did research, I could still have horrible messed up in describing this. If I did, message me what I messed up/how to fix it and I may or may not fix it. It depends on...well...spoilers.

* * *

Kari's first class of the day was a quiet, boring lecture in one of the larger halls. Many of the students showed up half asleep, clutching oversized coffee cups and spent most of the class time napping instead of taking notes. Not that the professor cared much, even if he had been able to keep a class of that size in order. He held the opinion that if they wanted to spend thousands of dollars to sleep through their education, then that was their business.

So when Kari saw her phone on the desk next to her notebook light up with an incoming text, she didn't hesitate to tap on the screen. The phone opened up an old chat thread between her, Kuro and Kazuma that had a new text from Kazuma. Kari frowned at the phone and dropped her pencil to pull the device closer.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Hey, wanna meet up later after last class today?-/i

Another text appeared as she read.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Maybe grab dinner at that place you two like?-/i

Kari reread the texts and checked the sender again, thinking she might have misread something. But it was all just as she read it the first time. She thumbed out of the chat thread and opened up the private thread with Kuro.

iTo: Kuro

-Something's wrong.-/i

She typed out and sent. Kuro's reply was quick.

iFrom: Kuro

-Shouldn't he be in class?-

To: Kuro

-Exactly. Something must be wrong.-

-From: Kuro-

-Yeah.-/i

A new text from Kazuma appeared before Kari could finish replying to Kuro. She tapped the alert to take her back to the three way chat.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Oh and Yusuke and a friend will be coming too.-/i

Kari stared at the phone. iWhat did bthat/b mean,/i she wondered. She was glad she had already taken taken her medication because if not, her anxiety would be shooting through the roof right now.

i-From: Kuro-

-A friend?! What friend?-

-Who does he know that we don't know too? Why would he just say 'a friend'?-

-Why not 'name, a friend from where ever'?-

-What the hell?!-/i

Kuro's text spam in the private thread summed up Kari's thoughts quite nicely, she thought. Kazuma and the twins were too close to not know the names of each others' friends, at least in passing. There were a few people they had seen Kazuma with from their Sarayashiki days that Kuro and Kari had never been introduced to. The twins had tried asking around about them and where Kazuma and Yusuke disappeared to all the time but had been forced to back off when they realized they were driving Kazuma away. His friendship had meant - still meant - more to them than knowing his secrets. But now, there was this mysterious friend all of a sudden.

i-To: Kuro-

-Maybe he's finally introducing us to Yukina?-/i

Kari decided to attempt the optimistic route even though her gut feeling told her this person defintely wasn't Kazuma's mysterious girlfriend of two years.

i-From: Kuro-

-It'd be about damned time but I get the feeling it's not.-

-Ask him about her. See what he says.-

-To: Kuro-

-kk-/i

She tapped the back button as she settled back in her seat, propping her feet up on the empty seat in front of her.

i-To: Mulberry Man-

-'A friend' huh? Wouldn't be the famous Yukina~ would it?-/i

She could practically see Kazuma fidgeting where ever he was and scratching the back of his neck as he tried to figure out what lie to tell them.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Yukina? No. She's busy.-/i

Yukina always was whenever Kuro and Kari extended hang out invitations to her or expressed interest in finally meeting the girl. If the twins hadn't seen photos of her and Kazuma together, they would have started to doubt her existance by now.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-No, just a friend. I think you two will like him.-

-From: Kuro-

-Okay, what's going on here?-/i

Kari sighed at her phone. Trust Kuro to grow impatient. It took a bit for Kazuma to reply and she had no doubt that if this were a verbal conversation he'd be a stuttering mess right now. Yusuke was probably there with him too, arguing with him over how to cover the lie. It had been a common sight a few years ago, before Yusuke had disappeared for three years.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Nothing's going on. We just want to hang out.-

-Shuichi's an old friend. He's visiting us and we thought he could tag along.-

-We thought it'd be fun.-/i

Kuro's next text come through on the private thread.

i-From: Kuro-

-An old friend huh? Thinking what I'm thinking?-

-To: Kuro-

-The short one or the redhead?-

-From: Kuro-

-Isn't the redhead's name Kurama? So the short one probably.-/i

Kazuma seemed to finally lose his patience, judging by his next text.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-You guys gonna come or not?-/i

Or Yusuke could have stolen his phone. Kari didn't doubt that he was standing over Kazuma's shoulder, reading the conversation and had gotten tired of waiting for the twins to respond. He was never far from trouble.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Or maybe we could come over to your place when you get home?-/i

Kazuma must have managed to get his phone back.

i-From: Kuro-

-No, we'll get dinner. Don't feel like having to cook for you bottomless pits tonight.-/i

Kari snorted, drawing displeased looks from the classmates around her who were actually paying attention to the professor. More than likely Kari would have ended up cooking, but she wasn't going to argue the point when it didn't matter.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-So you're coming?-

-To: Kuro and Mulberry Man-

-Yeah. I've nothing to do after class. Studying can wait.-

-From: Kuro-

-Same here. And I haven't seen the asshole in too long. He's in need of a good punch.-

-From: Mulberry Man-

-I'll tell him you said that lol-

-See you two later-

-From: Kuro

-Later-

-To: Kuro and Mulberry Man-

-Can't wait :)-/i

Kari dropped her phone on her desk, assuming the conversation was over, and picked up her pencil. She attempted to make sense of the notes on the board and where the professor was in his lecture but she had missed too much. She would have to read the chapter on her own later and maybe beg notes from one of her coherent classmates. When her phone lit up from another message from Kuro, Kari decided to just shove her pencil back in her purse and give up on getting any notes taken that day.

i-From: Kuro-

-I'm not being paranoid, that was weird right?-

-To: Kuro-

-Very. He's def supposed to be in class right now and he NEVER texts during class.-

-Do you really think this Shuichi is one of them?-

-From: Kuro-

-Oh yeah. Who else would qualify as an old friend that we didn't already know the name of?-

-To: Kuro-

-Yeah, you're right.-

-But why would he suddenly want us to meet one of them after he's spent years actively avoiding introducing us to them?-

-From: Kuro-

-I have no idea.-

-But it can't really be that big of a deal so don't worry about it too much, okay?-/i

Kari couldn't help the smile that spread across her face at that last one. Along with a slight eyeroll. That was classic big sister Kuro right there, trying to down play the situtation so Kari didn't spend all day working herself up.

,i-From: Kuro-

-You gonna be okay? Do you want me to come hang out with you for a bit after class?-

-To: Kuro-

-No, I'm fine.-/i

It was a lie but Kuro would never find out that Kari was thinking about her emergency pill pack in her purse and figuring out when she would have to take another dose for it to kick into effect in time for dinner that night.

i-To: Kuro-

-I'm sure this whole thing is nothing. We'll let him play it out and act like nothing's wrong.-

-From: Kuro-

-Yeah.-

-gotta go, see you tonight.-/i

* * *

Kari cursed her trembling hands as she pulled the restaraunt's door open to let herself in. Her anxiety had started again not long into her last class but she had waited to take her medication until class let out. It didn't do much for her jittery hands and racing heart though since the ten minute walk wasn't long enough to let it kick in.

She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets as she scanned the dining room for Kazuma. The restaraunt he had suggested was a little hole in the wall American style diner just outside campus. It was popular with the students, especially among those living on campus, and was crowded with the usual dinner time rush by the time Kari arrived. She found him a moment later, in the back of the diner where he'd said he would be, easily recognizable by his bad dye job over the tops of the other customers' heads.

"Hey, guys," she greeted the three at the table. Kazuma took the bookbag she handed him, shoving it into the corner of the bench between him and the wall.

"Hey, Kari," Kazuma returned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and dragging her into a side hug when she slipped into the empty seat on the bench next to him. She relaxed into the comfortable embrace, glad for any familiarity that might help her stay calm in an unfamiliar situation.

There was a simultaneous "Yo" and "Good Evening" from the other two accupants at the table. It was the polite greeting from the red headed stranger next to Yusuke that drew her attention.

He was a bit of a surprise since she was sure that Kuro had told her earlier that his name was Kurama, not Shuichi. Though perhaps, Kari couldn't quite call him a stranger since she'd seen him with Kazuma and Yusuke several times. This was the first time she'd seen him so up close though. She was taken aback at how pretty he was and how natural his hair looked. All these years she had assumed a red that vibrant had to be a dyed.

Kazuma coughed, noticing Kari staring at the odd man out.

iOr was it the other way around and she was the odd woman out,i she wondered?

"Kari, this is Minamino Shuichi." He waved a hand over the table, indicating each one as he introduced them. "Shuichi this is Nishimura Hikari."

She smiled sweetly at Shuichi even though she was sure they had just used a fake name for him.

"It's nice to finally meet you Nishimura-san." Shuichi smiled, reaching over the table to shake Kari's hand. Her breathe caught in her throat at the contact and not in the good way. "Kuwabara and Yusuke have told me a lot about you and your sister over the years."

"Oh really?" She forced herself to laugh knowing how fake it sounded. She wasn't sure if was from her own disbelief at the comment or the sudden rush of anxiety making her voice waver.

Next to her, Kazuma tensed. His arm slid off her shoulders when she reached across the table for one of the extra glasses of soda sitting there.

"This mine?" she asked, already pulling the clear drink towards her. She needed something to keep her hands occupied and clutching the damp glass was perfect. From the corner of her eye she caught Yusuke glance up at her before looking over to Kazuma and then to Shuichi.

"Yeah," Kazuma muttered, watching her. "You okay, Kari?"

No, no she really wasn't okay. Everything about this situation was setting her on edge, making her more and more nervous by the second. Oh how she wished Kuro wasn't going to be late. Her twin wasn't as easily upset like she was. Normally, she would be honest with Kazuma and Yusuke about her moods, but she knew that they would call off whatever was going on here if they knew how flustered she was becoming.

So she took a deep breath and plastered on a smile that could even fool her twin. "Yeah, I'm fine," she reassured him.

"Okay." He continued to watch her anyway.

Shuichi cleared his throat, breaking the awkward tension. "Yes, they talk about you a lot. Though I assure it it's all good, Nishimura-san," Shuichi chuckled, folding his hands on the table in front of him. "Well, almost. They've never seemed to have much good to say about...Kuroko is it?"

"Yeah," Kari confirmed after taking a sip of what turned out to be Sprite. "Though she'll want you to refer to her by our family name so you can call me Hikari to avoid confusion."

"Oh c'mon, you two," Yusuke laughed. He nudged Shuichi in the ribs with his elbow, earning him a swat and a glare from the redhead. It didn't effect him though. "Why are you so formal? Just call each other Kari and Shuichi."

Kari felt her smile falter. She didn't know this man and he made her uncomfortable being in the same vicinity. It was bad enough that Yusuke and Kazuma had apparently told him about her but she did not want him calling her by her nickname.

"Hikari, if you please, Minamino-san," she reiterated, her polite smile returning.

Yusuke's laugh trailed off. He watched her closely, much like Kazuma was still doing, frowning heavily. She ignored him and instead turned her attention to the menu on the table, idly sipping her Sprite as she decided what she wanted.

The table fell into another akward silence and from the corner of her eye she could see the three men having a silent conversation that involved a lot of eyebrow wriggling between Yusuke and Kazuma. The sight might have made her laugh if she had felt emotionally stable enough for it. Kazuma leaned back in the booth with a groan, having lost the argument. He rubbed his face before turning toward Kari. She put her elbow on the table and rested her head in her palm, watching him.

"So, uh," he coughed and glanced at Yusuke, who nodded at him. Kari raised an eyebrow at him when he looked back to her and fidgeted with the straw in his cup. "So, uhm."

"You said that already," she teased, trying to break the tension that was building at the table.

"What?" he croaked, staring at her like a deer caught in headlights.

"Nothing, I was just teasing," she shook her head, glancing at the other two at the table. Yusuke gave Kazuma a hard look and gestured at him to get it over with.

"Yeah, well, I uhm-"

"Hi, are you guys ready to order?"

He was saved from...whatever he was hestitating about by the waitress finally arriving.

Yusuke slammed a hand on the table, startling everyone but Shuichi. He glared at the waitress and probably would have rudely told her to go away if Shuichi hadn't placed a hand on Yusuke's arm and shook his head.

"Uhm?" The waitress looked around the table, aware that she had interupted something and not sure how to back out.

"We're still waiting on someone," Shuichi told her.

"Oh, okay. So I'll come back then," she replied, already turning to walk away.

"Yes, that would be fine,"

And the waitress fled, most likely back to the kitchen to complain to the other servers about the terrible table in the corner. Not that Kari would blame her. Yusuke and Kazuma were glaring at each other so hard she was surprised they didn't spontaneously combust.

"Kuwabara said Nishimura-san was going to be late but she didn't know when she would be arriving?" Shuichi asked Kari, ignoring the two silently arguing once again between them.

"Uhh…" She glanced at her two friends.

Yusuke threw his arms up, giving into Kazuma.

"Fine, whatever," he grumbled, sitting back. "Go on then," he waved a hand at her before crossing his arms over his chest. "Where is the little hellion?"

"She doesn't know when she'll be here," Kari said. "She's got lab last thing today and she thought she'd be able to get through it pretty quickly and get out. But her partner is an idiot," Kazuma and Shuichi made symathetic noises, "and he fucked something up, so it's taking longer than she expected."

"Aw, man," Kazuma groaned. "That is exactly why I hate having lab partners."

"I got lucky with my partner last semester," Kari shared. "She was a chem major and she made everything so easy."

"Yes, they can be…" Shuichi trailed off as he searched for the right word. "troublesome. What do you study at the university, Hikari-san?"

"Japanese Literature with a minor in creative writing," Kari rattled off quickly. She took a sip of her soda before continuing. "I'd have thought you'd know that though, since these two apparently told you all about me."

He glanced at her, eyes narrowing slightly and she caught her breathe again. There was something in his eyes, something that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"I suppose it never came up," he said, affecting a non-chalant tone.

"Hmm," she hummed, trying to get her breathing under control. "I guess it wouldn't."

Kazuma laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah I mean, why would he need to know what you major in?"

Kari's gaze snapped to him at the off handed comment. She knew what she iwanted/i to say and she knew that she ishouldn't/i say it, but the anxiety that just wouldn't go away was starting to cloud her thoughts and she couldn't think of what she ishould/i say.

And the wrong comment slipped out.

"I don't know, Kazuma, why would he need to know anything about us?" she grumbled, wrapping her arms around her stomach to try to hide that her whole body was trembling now.

"Eh?" He looked around the table, not quite sure what this sudden turn in conversation was about.

"I guess I just don't understand the situation," she continued as if he'd never spoken, her voice steadily rising in pitch until it cracked on the last syllable.

Shuichi leaned forward, frowning. "Hikari-san, are you well?" he asked.

The comment went unnoticed though when Yusuke grinned smugly at her.

"And what situation is that?"

Kari looked him in the eye and drew a deep breath to steady her voice.

"If he's such a good friend that you've told him all about Kuro and I, why haven't you told us about him?" she hissed. "And don't think that I don't recognize him. We've seen you with him and others often enough, though I could have swore his name was Kurama instead of Shuichi."

For moment everyone was stunned into silence, staring at Kari with varying expressions after her little outburst. And then the table exploded with noise as everyone started talking at once.

"I KNEW IT!"

"That's not-"

"I TOLD YOU KUWABARA!"

"Yusuke keep your voice down."

"Kari, you don't-"

She let them argue with one another and curled in on herself, pressing her forhead to the cool surface of the table. Instinctively she tried to control her breathing to keep herself from hyperventilating and slow her racing heart.

i"In for seven, out for eleven, in for seven, out for eleven,"/i she mentally recited to herself, careful to count slowly and not rush.

She started to lose her grasp of what was going on around her; everyone sounded the same, her vision blurred, she lost track of who was where. She had descended into full blown panic attack, the likes of which she hadn't had in years.

"I knew they knew more than you thought they did."

"Shut up Urameshi!"

"Hikari-san, what's wrong?"

"You're ruining everything Urameshi!"

"I told you that we should have told them everything years ago!"

"We had a plan!"

"Yusuke, Kuwabara, please, something's wrong. Calm down."

Something's wrong. Kari's panicking mind latched on to the words and wouldn't let go. Something's wrong. Something. Is. Wrong. She couldn't get her breathing under control. Her pill hadn't kicked in yet. Why wasn't it working?

Something's wrong.

Her shaking hands fumbled with the purse in her lap, searching for her phone within it's seemingly endless depths. She need to know what time it was. Maybe it hadn't been as long as she thought it had.

A hand grabbed her shoulder and she flinched away from the touch.

The arguing over her head sounded...different. Loud still, but less angry.

She could have cried when her hand finally found the smooth plastic of her phone's protective case. Just in time to have the purse snatched from her. It took her a few tries to wake the device up and it was only thanks to muscle memory that she was able to unlock the thing.

Someone was touching her again, dragging her away from the table and turning her around. She pulled away from whoever it was, slapping at hands that continued to reach for her. She might have snapped incoherently at them, but she wasn't completely sure.

A pill was held in front of her.

She pushed it away, shaking her head. Another pill was not what she needed.

The phone buzzed in her hand. Kari instinctively checked it.

She could barely make out Kuro's smiling face looked back at her.

iOh thank god,/i she thought. Kuro would be able to calm her down. She knew exactly what to do in the case of one of Kari's panic attacks.

"'Ro?" Kari croaked, only managing to get the last syllable out.

Kuro didn't respond so Kari called her name again, stronger this time, in case her sister hadn't heard her the first time.

More silence.

Except not really.

There was a loud rustling sound coming from the phone, like clothe rubbing against clothe.

"Kuro?" Kari hollered into the phone.

Kuro's odd phone call broke Kari out of her panic attack in a way that most distractions couldn't do. She suddenly had something to focus her concern on, instead of the downward spiral she had devolved into a moment ago.

"Kuro, what's going on?" she asked again, stepping out of the booth.

At first she thought the scream had come from herself, because the hand was on her shoulder, iagain/i. But then she realized it was coming from the speaker on her phone and it iclicked/i.

iKuro/i was the one screaming.

* * *

Posting a bit early because I just finished editing and then I realized that I would have to put all the darned italics in by hand. AUGH /flips table/

Thanks for reading guys! I really appreciate all the favs, follows and reviews! I always welcome some constructive criticism or even just the quick 'loved it!' comments. Oh, and you should all come bug me on tumblr destinyswindow sometimes I post little updates about where I am in writing/what I'm writing about and if you ask nicely I may even answer spoilery questions. Or you can poke me until I write if you think I've been slacking off.


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